Mango Banzai

I bought this from a Hong Kong dessert restaurant/stall in Far East Plaza.

It's called Mango Banzai, and is one of the most comforting desserts I've ever eaten (and I've tried a lot).

It's chilled mango and whipped cream wrapped inside a super tender crepe.

But I realize that it's best to eat this in the store because they actually chill the dessert. And when you have it wrapped for take out, the sudden change in temperature will cause the mango to 'perspire' and dampen the cute, tender crepe.

3 pieces is SGD3.50

PeraMakan (The name of the resto at Keppel Club)

Peranakan food! My dream came true last night, when my officemate decided to treat us at this Peranakan restaurant. (We ordered Set A, check their website to know the names of the dishes)

We went to Keppel Club at Harbour Front. It's a posh place, because there was even a driving range near the restaurant.

Anyway, we ate all these super nice Peranakan food (google it to learn more). Beef rendang, Fish Assam, Nyonya Tofu, Longgan with Dates drink, Pork Ribs, Prawns, Black chicken with nuts (you have to spoon out the actual nut mixture from the hard nutshell) and Ice Chendol (plus free flow of rice!!!). Yummy! I like it!

But I think Peranakan food is not for everyone, because it's spicy, and almost all the dishes has coconut milk, which is very 'gassy' (I was told) and not very good for people with gastric problems.

Since I loved their food, I will post their contact details:

PeraMakan
Your Nyonya Family Restaurant

Level 3, Keppel Club, 10 Bukit Chermin Road, Singapore 109918
Tel: (65) 6377 2829
Website: http://www.peramakan.com/

Sugar Shock

So pathetic of me, I actually went to Cheers convenience store to buy a bar of chocolate just to cheer me up. Well.. it doesn't seem to be doing much except irritate my throat. Ehem ehem, but I don't think it will irritate it enough for me to call in sick tomorrow "Croack! boss, I have a sorethroat *cough cough*, I can't go to work".

Anyway, I can't go on 'MC' (Medical Leave) tomorrow because 1. It's not my style to take sick leave (because it's too much of a hassle! I have to secure a slip from the doctor first before I can call in sick). 2. It's my last day of work, atleast until next Friday because I'm off to Vietnam on Thursday!

~

And yes, the chocolate is Van Houten. As much as I wanted to buy Kinder Bueno or Cadbury or Hershey's, I couldn't! Because it was expensive. This was the cheapest chocolate bar in the store. (SGD1)

Sweet Li'l Sack

I love Famous Amos ^-^.

The stalls selling freshly baked cookies, and you purchase it by the grams.

I always buy Chocolate chip and macadamia, yum.

I always buy just a hundred grams, and I always finish it too (the picture above proves it).

100 grams is SGD4.80.

What's Your Favorite Movie?

Finally, I have an answer to this question. My favorite movie is: Yes Man, starring Jim Carrey .

I first watched this during my flight back from Thailand to Singapore onboard Singapore Airlines.

Since the flight was just about 2 hours plus, I didn't finish the movie.

I went to a lot of video stores to look for the VCD, and finally, last Thursday, I was able to buy one! Yipee!

Today, I decided to watch it. I started with disc 2, and although most of the scenes were still fresh on my mind, it was still so funny!

I strongly recommend everyone to watch this. But then again, if you prefer slapstick comedy, this probably won't appeal much to you.

For me, this is definitely rated as 5 stars, 5 popcorns, or 5 whatever.

Lazy, lazy, lazy Sunday

As in, super lazy.

I woke up almost 2 (but the sleep wasn't continuous since I woke up to pee a couple of times, and I kept waking up feeling guilty that my aircon was still on {fear of what flatmates will say}, so I finally decided to turn it off at 11am)

Ate some chips and biscuits and surfed the net. Then, decided to finish watching Yes Man.

Around 5pm, I was finally ready to go out... Agenda for today was to have my lunch and buy some things for my friends (they requested me to buy for them and I'll just hand it over on Thursday, when I see them in Vietnam).

Lunch - Urban Pantry, Velocity Mall

Tom Yum Pasta, Spicy Tomato Soup and Iced Tea

Dinner - Passionfruit Greentea from Koi Garden

The Long Bar, Raffles Hotel

I like the layout of the bar very much.

In fact, I'm very impressed! (as if it matters to anyone).

There's a 'resto-in-a-beach-resort' feel to it. The ceiling is high, which makes the room feel bigger. There were fans hanging on the ceiling, and it's actually automated. It swings back and forth, giving a soothing effect. Then, the chairs are made of rattan (a type of wood), which adds to the 'beach' feel.

When you walk around, you will feel and hear the crunching sound on your feet. Which makes you feel like you were walking on the beach. Actually, those crunchy things are the peanut shells.

Each table has a box full of roasted peanuts (Still in its shell. In the Philippines, it's called Maning sung-sung). When you finish eating, you just throw the shells onto the floor. Super nice idea! Your table is clean, and then the shells add a touch of 'nature' inside the bar.

Then there's also the band singing in front, which creates a lively atmosphere.

Count how many times I used the word 'feel'. Well, it's because when you step into the bar, you actually feel a lot of things. Very creative. Very well planned. Bravo.

Just for Saturday Night, I am Chic and Sophisticated

The Saturday plan for this week was very different - dinner at Chijmes, followed by cocktails at the Long Bar inside Raffles Hotel.

This meant having to wear smart casuals, and strictly no flip-flops (sorry feet).

Since I didn't have a nice pair of chic jeans, I wore my form-fitting black slacks paired with green sleevless top instead. To comply with the footwear requirement, I wore my favorite pair of black peep-toe high-heeled shoes from Pedal Works.

We had dinner at Hog's Breath Saloon and Grill (Australian). The feast comprised of: Finger food platter, salmon (with raisin garnish) and steak (I think it's ribeye).

Then, we crossed the street to Raffles Hotel (one of the most expensive hotels here in Singapore). We went to The Long Bar for their Singapore Sling. I did my research on this- "this COCKTAIL consists of gin, cherry brandy and lemon juice shaken with ice and strained into a tall glass. The drink is finished by topping it off with soda water. "

The drink is said to have originated from Raffles Hotel. Right on! If I'm going to drink that stuff, might as well drink it from the place where it was created. But man, is it expensive or what. A semi-tall glass is SGD23. If you would like to have a souvenir glass, it becomes SGD32.

I had 2 glasses (because one is honestly not enough), and I bought a souvenir glass.

I like the drink, because it's just like juice, except there's a slight kick (haaa-yaaah!). I just don't like the price (tsk tsk).

The damages:

Dinner - SGD30

Drinks - SGD 64.35

Overall, it was a great night. Chilling out, the way rich people do it.

I'm a Bookaholic, Magaholic and Shoe-aholic

Oh no, oh no, it's getting out of hand!

I'm becoming more and more '-aholic' with a lot of things - books, magazines and shoes. It seems I can't say no to buying them if I think they're priced reasonably (Read: Items on sale).

I bought the purple pair of shoes from Pretty Fit which was having a big sale (up to 70% discount, and the 70% thing was true! I saw shoes that used to be priced at SGD69, now selling for SGD29 or less).

Then for the books, it seems everytime I go to the bookstore, I'd see an interesting title which would really tempt me to buy (to read on my spare time..which means I won't be reading it at all).

Magazines! 8 Days Mag is only SGD2, so sometimes (er oftentimes), I would think 'geez, it's only 2 dollars, why am I scrimping myself?'. So I'd end up buying a copy, and it's a weekly publication!

Whatta Mess

I'm talking about my room, my job and my mind.

My room, I can still clean it.
My job, it's messy, but I can deal with about 10 hours of it everyday.
My mind, dang, it's the hardest thing to clean.

I'm thinking about a lot of things, and I'm running out of patience too-on everything! I feel like I just might snap one day.

It's Broken

Darn, my headset is broken.

Small Purchase + Small Purchase = Medium Purchase

I'm not the type to buy expensive stuff (super on occasional basis only).

I like buying small things. But sometimes, at the height of shopping excitement, I don't realise that these 'small things', when added together, would total to a lot.

Last Friday, I bought small pocket plants (one of them already dead *sob* because the plant itself got disconnected from the soil), miniature hershey lip gloss and magazine.

Add them together and the damage was about SGD26. Almost enough to pay for a dimsum buffet at the Fullerton Hotel (which I was told was fully booked till June *bigger sob and sniff*)

Breakfast at the Airport

This was actually taken last March 14.

I had my breakfast at the airport before I took my 11am flight to Manila.

I couldn't resist rearranging my food!

Aaaaargh!

Guess What?

There was a sale a few weeks back.. and I was able to buy stuff from Guess.

A 3-inch yellow high heeled step in shoes with tiny hearts on the sides and a cool denim shoulder bag.

I love love love the bag, and she has already taken her first trip abroad (Thailand).

Why Do I Have Meaty Arms?

I have the answer!!

It's to protect me from getting crushed by the bus doors.

Well, twice now, my meaty arms have helped me repel those bus doors when they closed while I was still standing on the doorway.

1st time: I was just one step from getting off the bus when my friend asked me 'Did you tap your EZ Link card?'.
I didn't (for the first time, it slipped my mind), so I hurriedly tapped it. But I did it when I was almost out of the door, so apparently the driver thought I was already out so he pressed the 'door close' button. I was still there! So the door closed on me and sort of crushed me in between! I'm sure it looked painful, but it wasn't.

2nd time (tonight): My friend and I waited for Bus#27 outside Tampines1 mall. Apparently, all the other commuters were waiting for the same bus. One came, but it was already jammed, so the driver didn't even let anyone board anymore. The second one was crowded too, so the driver told us to wait for the next one. The third one came and we rushed to get in. My friend was already inside, but it was super jammed.. The driver said 'door closing', and I was in the midst of telling my friend 'Go ahead without me..' when the door suddenly closed shut. Again, I was still in the doorway! I was crushed and you should have seen the look on the other passenger's face (well, I guess I should've seen mine too). It hurt me, but not physically. It just hurt my ego!

PS It's more painful to be hit by a closing automatic building door (Like the ones in malls, because I also got hit once at Velocity Mall in Novena. Just my luck.)

New Shoes... Again

I bought a new pair of flats again, when I haven't even worn the pair I bought last week from Thailand.

Retail therapy, they say. But I think I'm going overboard with mine. I mean, they're not expensive but still, I should be saving here in Singapore instead of shopping.

On the other hand, I deserve it, don't I? I do work hard, I do save, so I'm entitled to treat myself to these small things.

Oh no, I'm arguing with myself again.

Say Cheeze

My friend and I went to Tampines1 today.

It's a 2 week old mall.

When we got there, we saw this restaurant called 'Say Cheeze' and we were drawn to it. Originally, we wanted to order their 6pc cheesecake sampler, but we ended up eating their cheese and spinach wrap and baked lasagna ratatouille instead (because all our dessert choices weren't available!)

The food and the price was good enough. Total bill was SGD24-.

Illuma Mall

Blast my low-pixeled camera phone for this unclear photo.

Starstruck

My friend and I met up for our Friday dinner at Bugis, because we wanted to check out the newly opened Illuma mall.

The facade of the mall is decorated with white thingies 'pasted' to the structure. In a way, it looks like an artwork. At night, they turn on the moving lights, so that it creates a ... I don't know what it creates. It just has moving lights at night, period.

Anyway, when we got there, a group of people were standing in front of a stage. We found out that Aaron Kwok was going to the mall for a meet and greet session at 8PM!

I remember Aaron Kwok because he used to be such a big Asian singer back when I was still in high school. He was one of the good looking, big-eyed Asian dudes around then.

Oh my, oh my! I will get to see him, and for free (he has a concert at the Indoor Stadium)!

So my friend and I went to eat first since it was only 730 then.

After dinner (820pm) at Pasta de Waraku, we went back to the activity area where Aaron was already being interviewed.

First, we could only see his shoulders, then we moved a bit so we could see his denim covered calves. A little more and we were able to see him!

He's matured so much (but didn't we all?) and he's so much tanner than on tv. Well, I was starstuck because he was a known celebrity, but definitely not because I was awed by his looks. He looked so cool to me when I was in highschool, but now he just looks like a regular guy.

Bah, I learned that I should always bring my camera for these unexpected photo opportunities. Even with the zoom-in function of my camera phone, I still couldn't capture anything that would really prove that the person on my pictures are indeed Aaron.